Lodi braces for possible loss of court branch

LODI - Lodi officials are preparing for the possible closure of the Lodi branch of San Joaquin County Superior Court and how the aftershocks of that legal void would hit the Police Department.

Keith Reid

LODI - Lodi officials are preparing for the possible closure of the Lodi branch of San Joaquin County Superior Court and how the aftershocks of that legal void would hit the Police Department.

San Joaquin Superior Courts are facing a $2.2 million budget gap, and have petitioned the state Judicial Council for funding, Executive Officer Rosa Junqueiro said. Lodi City Manager Rad Bartlam recently testified before the council to state San Joaquin's case in hopes of saving the Lodi branch. But he's not overly optimistic.

A closure of Lodi's courtroom, on the second floor of the downtown Police Department building, would mean all court proceedings would take place in the Stockton main branch.

The move could mean a transportation hardship on some residents who need to tend to legal matters, and for police officers who have to appear in court. The ripple could cost the city thousands of dollars each year in transporting jail inmates.

"The big deal for us is that if they close the court then we lose the luxury of being able to hold prisoners in our jail before arraignment," Bartlam said.

Police Chief Mark Helms said Lodi is one of very few northern California cities that operates its own city jail. With 20 beds and an overall capacity of 45, the city does not transport people who are arrested to the San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp. They are locked up in Lodi, where they are arraigned in the Lodi branch of Superior Court. After arraignment, the Sheriff's Office is responsible for transporting inmates that can't post bail to the French Camp jail.

Unlike the County Jail, Lodi's facility does not overcrowd and inmates are not released early, Helms added.

"We have a system now that works very effectively and efficiently," Helms said. "If the court closes, we lose that. We'll be releasing more prisoners on notice to appear, and there will be significant drive time and man hours we'd have to make up."

Police officers also say the local jail is a major deterrent for low-level criminals. Experienced shoplifters, for example, know that if they are caught in Lodi they won't just be fined and cited. They'll be taken to the Lodi jail.

"And that might mean they have to stay for a couple of days depending on their situation," Helms said. "That doesn't sit too well with them."

Junqueiro said she hopes more money will come in to keep court services up to current levels. The court system has cut staffing levels to a bare-bones level and implemented furloughs and court closings. If money isn't found, further cuts will hurt. "We had to close Tracy, and we do understand the impact this has on cities. It's not something that we take lightly," she said. "We will have tough decisions to make."

Junqueiro said a time line for when decisions have to be made is not set. It is likely most cuts will have to be made in early 2013.